Waiting
by Questfan
Summary: Captain Bridger and Lucas are missing after an undersea earthquake.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything unfortunately. Oh well, I still get to play :-)**

**Chapter One**

The surf pounded at the limp body on the shoreline, tossing it first one way and then pulling it another. As the sun began to rise above the tree line its rays reflected off the debris scattered along the beach. Not much remained of a life raft and its emergency contents. The man on the beach wore an ill-fitted life jacket that looked as though it had been put on in haste. In truth it had been fitted while he was unconscious. Struggling to lift his dead weight, his young companion had barely been able to get the jacket over his head and tie it off roughly around his arm before they had been engulfed by a wave. His own jacket had been swept away with the previous monster wave. He had no choice but to put the remaining jacket on his captain and hope they wouldn't need to rely on it to keep them both afloat until help arrived.

Focusing solely on the task of keeping his friend from drowning he had been unable to stop their precious supplies from being washed away as the tiny life raft was buffeted by the churning ocean. He hadn't been able to do anything but watch helplessly as the shuttle craft they had just escaped from, sank silently beneath the waves, taking with it any way to contact anyone. He wasn't sure if he had been able to activate the emergency beacon before it went down. There just hadn't been enough time to do anything more, like radio out a distress call.

In the stillness of the early morning there was no sign of the teenager. Seagulls circled overhead with a screeching cry as they searched for food. Tiny crabs scuttled back and forth across the sand. The small island was waking up. The man on the beach also began to stir. Waves crashed mercilessly against his still form and he began to register the movement in his senses if not in his mind. As he struggled to open his eyes the stinging spray of salt water made him shut them again quickly. Rubbing the water from his face he tried to sit up but the pounding in his head made him fall back to the sand. Water rushed in over his feet again and he began to take in the sensations he was feeling. Soggy. Cold. Pain. Confusion.

A glimpse of the previous night flashed through his mind but it just brought more confusion. He was with someone. _Who?_ The answer refused to form in his mind so he decided the first priority was to get out of the water. One step at a time. Slowly and painfully he pulled himself into a sitting position and was immediately engulfed by a wave of nausea. His head spun and the view in front of him was awash with spots.

"_Little sparks," _he mused to himself. _"Lots of little Tinkerbells." _He laughed out loud at that incongruous thought but immediately regretted it as his vision blurred over again and he had to force himself to stay upright. There was nothing funny about that. As the nausea subsided he slowly tried to stand up. Pushing against the wet sand he felt a stabbing pain run the length of his arm and he gasped in agony. Falling back to the sand he gingerly pulled back his dark blue sleeve only to see that his right arm was horribly swollen and bruised.

Another flash of memory and he recalled the sickening sensation of being violently thrown to the floor. Holding his arms up instinctively he had tried to protect himself from the fall. Someone pulled him upright but the face refused to resolve itself in his memory. Frustration lent strength to his determination and he tried again to stand up, this time cradling his right arm with his left. The spots swam before his eyes again but not as bad as before. He managed to stay on his feet and stagger out of the reach of the waves before collapsing back onto the dry sand. His soggy clothes clung uncomfortably to his body and he shivered in the wind. Vague flashes of yelling and rushing water came back to haunt him but he still couldn't work out who the face belonged to. Young. Blonde hair. Frightened. Yelling something he couldn't understand.

"Damn it! Who are you? What happened here?" he wondered out aloud. The only answer he got was the squawking of seagulls fighting over fish in the shallow rock pools.

**Thirteen hours earlier….**

Jonathan Ford wandered slowly around the bridge, noting how smoothly this crew worked together. The _seaQuest _had been his for three days while Captain Bridger and Lucas were away at a bio-technics conference and he had reveled in the position of acting Captain. There was no place he wanted to be more than the bridge of the UEO flagship. He was jolted out of his musing by the urgent sound of his sensor chief calling a warning.

"Commander, we've got an undersea earthquake dead ahead. Shockwave's on its way!" Ortiz spun back in his chair to check the WSKRs for sensor readings.

"Sound "Collision". All hands brace for impact!" He issued the order and seconds later a klaxon sounded throughout the boat. As Ford waited for the shockwave to hit he grabbed the nearest handrail and held on. He glanced around at the faces before him and saw the tension in them. There was no way of knowing just how hard a shockwave would hit and they could be devastating to undersea craft. As the first of a series of waves hit the _seaQuest_ several of the bridge crew were thrown off balance and hit the floor. Ford clung on tightly and waited for the violent motion to subside. Gradually the shockwaves dissipated and things returned to normal.

"Everybody OK?" Ford called out as he ran to help Ensign Daniels to her feet. Looking around he checked that nobody seemed to be more than bruised and he breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to be handing the boat back over to the captain in less than perfect shape. The captain! He and Lucas were on their way back in the shuttle. They had called in when leaving the conference but hadn't checked in since. Their ETA was still three hours away so hopefully that put them outside the range of the shockwaves. Ford didn't want to consider what they could do to a small craft like a shuttle.

"O'Neill! Call up the shuttle and check on Captain Bridger and Lucas."

"Aye Sir. _SeaQuest _calling Shuttle One, come in Shuttle One."

No response.

"_SeaQuest _calling Shuttle One. Captain Bridger please respond."

Ford looked at his communications officer with a growing feeling of concern.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks everyone for the reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.**

**Chapter Two**

It had only been a short conference but Lucas had made the most of every minute. He had been asked to deliver an address on his latest research into nanite technology and how the microscopic machines could be applied into gene therapy.

He had developed a program that would allow simulations to pinpoint the best course of treatment without having to waste time and resources trying different options.

He had spent every spare minute over the previous month preparing for the lecture and he felt that it had gone over well. Just being a genius wasn't enough when it came to these kinds of things. You also had to be able to present information well and that was where Bridger came in.

Lucas knew his material inside and out but he still felt incredibly nervous standing up before an audience and speaking. He was still treated as a kid by some researchers and made to feel that he couldn't possibly have any answers to complex medical problems. Having Captain Bridger sitting in the front row, silently encouraging him had certainly made the difference.

Afterwards he had talked almost non-stop on the way to their rooms as he excitedly recalled the responses from his audience.

"Did you hear what Professor Ortega said? He actually wants me to come and spend some time at their research lab! I mean, that's only the biggest nanite project on the go, anywhere in the world!"

The captain couldn't help but smile at his young friend's enthusiasm.

"And you thought you were going to make a hash of this, remember? You did a fantastic job. I think you generated quite a bit of interest in your research today."

As they continued down the corridor several more delegates stopped Lucas to discuss his research. He even had another offer of some research time at another medical facility. By the time they were ready to leave the conference he was feeling like he had actually taken some ground in the battle to be treated seriously in the research world beyond the _seaQuest_.

As the captain maneuvered the small shuttle craft out of the docking bay he glanced over at Lucas and caught him trying to stifle a yawn.

"Did you get _any_ sleep last night?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"I tried but every time I nodded off I kept having stupid dreams."

"What kind of dreams?"

"Oh, you know the kind. The ones where you are standing in front of a room full of people in nothing but your underwear." Lucas looked up with a sheepish look on his face.

Bridger laughed out loud.

"Oh you mean the kind where you suffer total humiliation and your professional reputation is left in tatters?"

"Yeah, that'd be the one." Lucas laughed. He was finally beginning to let go of the anxiety he'd been trying so hard to hide. He loved his research but standing up to present it was about as much fun as being eaten by a shark. It was much easier to hide behind a computer screen.

"You know most people hate public speaking and will go to great lengths to avoid it. You did a great job today, Kiddo."

"But _you_ make it look so easy. I mean you have no problem getting up in front of people."

"Don't think I haven't had my share of public disasters. I remember once getting up on stage and making a complete idiot of myself." Bridger smiled to himself over the long distant memory.

"Well c'mon, you can't leave me hanging here. What happened?" Lucas couldn't imagine how the confident Captain Bridger could have embarrassed himself.

"Well it was all because of a girl really," he smiled absently. "She was gorgeous. I was walking onto the stage of a large auditorium and I saw her sitting in the front row. I was so busy looking at her that I walked straight into the podium, lost my balance and fell off the front of the stage."

Lucas was looking at him sideways, trying to gauge if this was a true story or if the captain was just trying to make him feel better.

"So then what happened?"

"Well I managed to break my nose and so there I was sitting in a puddle of blood when she came to check if I was all right. I told her she owed me an icepack and a date since it was her fault I fell off the stage."

"And did you get one? A date I mean."

"Got more than that. Two years later I married her."

Lucas laughed at the image and wondered why he'd never heard that story about Carol before.

"Well it isn't exactly the kind of thing you want to advertise, you know. It doesn't do a whole lot for my image."

Lucas tried in vain to smother another yawn.

"Why don't you get some sleep in the back? We've got a few hours still to go and you look like you could use it," Bridger looked over at Lucas, hoping he wasn't going to get an argument on this.

To his surprise the teenager nodded and climbed over into the back of the shuttle. His feet dangled over the edge of the bench seat but he stretched out anyway and was soon fast asleep.

* * *

Lucas was rudely jolted out of his sleep as the small shuttle rocked violently. He tried to sit up but was pushed back into the bench by the momentum of the shuttle.

"Captain! What's happening?" he called out in alarm.

"Hang on Lucas. I don't know. Sensor readings are all over the place."

Lucas began to pull himself upright by hanging onto the back of the seat. The shuttle was still pitching around and he struggled to hold on.

Suddenly an alarm began to sound and he realised seconds later it was the de-pressurisation alarm.

"Captain!"

"Lucas we're going to have to bail out of here. We're losing hull integrity! I don't know what's going on out there but I'm heading for the surface. Get the life raft ready while I contact _seaQuest._"

Lucas scrambled over the edge of the seat and dragged himself across the rolling floor. The life raft and emergency gear was stowed at the back of the shuttle. He pulled out two life jackets and dropped them at his feet while he tugged at the release handle for the storage locker. The jackets skidded across the floor as the shuttle continued on its random path.

He yanked at the release handle while struggling to maintain his footing. The captain was battling to control the small craft against the violent currents outside. He kept trying to raise the _seaQuest _on the radio but he wasn't getting any reply.

Lucas had the life raft half way out of the locker when he felt the first spray of water on his back.

"Captain! We're taking on water! We have to get out of here. How deep are we?" he called frantically.

"I can't tell! The instruments keeps bouncing back conflicting readings. Either we are rising and falling at the same time or the seafloor is shifting. That would certainly explain the shockwaves that are hitting us. I can't get a steady bearing on anything!"

As Lucas turned back to the life raft he saw water pouring down the back of the shuttle. Before he could react to what was happening it was swishing ominously around his feet.

The shuttle was still being buffeted roughly and Lucas just couldn't get the life raft out because he couldn't stay on his feet long enough to get a good grip.

"Captain! We're in trouble! I can't get this raft loose." He turned in time to see Bridger getting out of the pilot's chair and coming towards him to help.

"It's on autopilot. We should break the surface in a few minutes. Now let's get that thing out of there before…." He was cut off as the shuttle lurched violently to starboard and he was flung across the small space towards Lucas.

Raising his arms instinctively to protect his head, the captain was thrown to the floor, crashing into the bench seat that Lucas had been sleeping on.

"Captain! Are you all right? Can you hear me?" Lucas called frantically but got no answer. He let go of the raft and staggered over to where Bridger lay on the floor. He shook him urgently but got no response.

Trying to be gentle he eased the captain over onto his back and gasped when he saw the blood on the side of his head. Water was still rushing in through the breached seal and Lucas realised that it was nearly ankle deep now.

Suddenly the shuttle broke the ocean's surface and he was thrown roughly against the hull. The captain was rolled back against the bench seat and Lucas realised with horror that his face was submerged under the water.

Fighting the pitching motion, he managed to crawl across the space between them and pull Bridger back into an upright position against the seat. He began to stir slightly and Lucas shook him to get a response.

"Captain, can you hear me? We have to get out of here! Please, help me get us out!"

Bridger mumbled something Lucas couldn't make out and closed his eyes again. While Lucas crawled over to the life raft the captain slid back down the side of the bench. Fear gave Lucas the strength to drag the life raft out from its locker and somehow he got the shuttle hatch open.

The ocean outside was still churning angrily and he battled against it to get the raft out. He tied it off against the shuttle hatch and pulled the self-inflating plug. While the raft came to life he turned his attention back to the captain.

As he turned away from the treacherous water a monster wave swept over him and nearly pulled him out into the darkness. He grabbed the life raft rope and clung on as the surge of water swept through the shuttle and swept back out. He grabbed at the life jacket that swam past but couldn't reach it.

He was running out of time and he clutched urgently at the remaining life jacket. With Bridger still unconscious he had to get a jacket on him quickly. He struggled to get the jacket over his head and keep his face above water.

The shuttle was almost half full of water and he knew he only had minutes before it went down. He roughly tied the jacket cords around Bridger's right arm.

Finding strength he didn't know he had, he managed to drag his friend's unconscious body towards the life raft. He glanced backwards at the emergency supplies but couldn't afford to let go of Bridger to get them.

The next wave that washed through the shuttle gave him enough forward momentum to launch himself at the raft. Somehow he managed to drag the limp body of his captain over the edge of the raft and crawl in himself.

The raft lurched violently and he realised the rope was still attached to the shuttle door and it was going down! He couldn't get to the knot on the shuttle end so he began pulling at the knot on the raft end. His fingers were freezing and he cursed their clumsiness.

The shuttle dropped below the surface and the edge of the raft began to dip alarmingly. Lucas ripped the rope from the raft and breathed a sigh of relief as the raft righted itself again.

He collapsed back against the side of the raft, his energy all but spent. Crawling over towards Bridger he saw that even against the rocking motion of the raft, he still hadn't awoken.

As the adrenaline subsided, Lucas began to feel the despair of the situation. He was freezing so he pushed himself up against the captain's body and wrapped his arms around him. They needed to get warm and this was the only way he could do anything about it. The emergency packs were gone and that meant there were no blankets.

"Captain? Please wake up. I can't do this by myself," he whispered to his friend.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hiya. Thanks again for reviews – it's really encouraging to hear what you think. **

**Chapter Three**

"Commander, I'm not getting any response from the shuttle," Lieutenant Tim O'Neill looked up from his station with a frown on his face.

"Ortiz, what have you got on WSKR's?"

"That quake was a big one, Sir. I'm still trying to analyse data for a clear picture. I'll be able to tell you more in a few minutes."

"Understood." Ford let out a slow breath and waited for his sensor chief to fill him in. He didn't get time to as alarms began sounding around him.

"Commander, we've got another shockwave on the way!"

"Sound "Collision"!" Ford grabbed the handrail again as he heard the klaxon ring out. "Here we go again."

This time the impact was far worse than the previous time. Ford was knocked off his feet as the submarine rolled to port before righting itself again. All around him men and women were thrown about as the enormous submarine was tossed around like a toy in a bathtub.

"Commander, we just lost two WSKR's! Mother and Junior are down."

"I'm not surprised, Miguel. What have you got on the other two?"

"The seafloor is buckling underneath us. A lava vent is opening up off to starboard. We need to get out of here. Now!"

"Helm, all stop. Full reverse!" Ford looked up hoping that they could back up in time. The WSKR view on the main screen showed an enormous fissure on the seafloor that was spewing out lava at an alarming rate.

Doctor Westphalan came running onto the bridge with another science officer in tow.

"Commander Ford! We need to leave this area immediately. The ocean temperature is rising and will soon exceed hull tolerance."

"I know that Doctor. We're working on it. Hitchcock, what's our position?"

The young woman was battling with the helm controls and didn't answer immediately.

Ford moved up beside her station and asked again, "Katie? Our position?"

"Sorry, I'm having trouble maneuvering. The bow planes aren't responding."

"Ortiz! Get me a WSKR view. What's happening out there?"

Before he could respond another violent shudder ran through the boat followed by a series of smaller tremors. The _seaQuest_ began to list to port and the crew were forced to grab hold of whatever was nearby in order to stay standing.

"Ortiz?"

"Sir, the lava eruptions are increasing in intensity and we're too close. We have a hull breach! It looks like it took out a piece of the rudder and propulsion."

"Evacuate the area and seal the watertight doors in that compartment."

Hitchcock looked up in alarm. "Commander, the magnetic drive impellers are de-stabilising. We have to shut them down before they overload!"

"If we do that we're dead in the water," Ford looked back at her with a look of frustration. "We can't stay here much longer. The bio skin will start to break down."

"If we don't shut them down and they overload we won't have to worry about that. We'll explode!" Hitchcock looked back at her station display keeping a close eye on the readings before her. They were getting scarier by the second.

"Commander, if we blow the ballast it will get us out of immediate danger and we can cut power to the drive train."

"Do it! We're out of options. Blow main ballast." It only took seconds before the _seaQuest _began to rise as the ballast was blown from the tanks. He looked over at Hitchcock while she ran through the shut down procedures for the magdrive.

"Mr Ortiz, sound off."

"Aye Sir. 1200 feet … 1100 … 1000 … 900 …"

By the time he got to 300 feet Hitchcock had succeeded in shutting down the impellers. The sub was now adrift in the water but at least they were out of reach of the lava below them. The shockwaves had mostly subsided and an eerie calm settled over the bridge.

Before anyone could speak an emergency beacon began to beep insistently on the main screen.

"We're rising into the sound channel. Commander, I'm picking up an SOS. It's the captain's shuttle!" O'Neill called out as he tried urgently to home in on the location of the emergency signal.

"Try hailing them, Tim." Ford stepped up to the communications display, hoping to speak to the captain and find out if they were all right. He just hoped they hadn't been hit by anything as bad as the _seaQuest _had just experienced.

"_seaQuest _to Shuttle One. Come in Shuttle One … this is _seaQuest _calling Shuttle One. Captain Bridger, do you read?" O'Neill had a bad feeling about this.

"Sir, the signal's being refracted. I can't get a lock on the location. I don't know if they would be picking up our hail. The shuttle doesn't have the range we do."

"Keep trying, Tim. At least get me a general idea of where to start looking and we'll narrow it down from there." Ford turned back to Commander Hitchcock who was still working on her diagnostics display.

"How long to get us up and running, Katie?"

"I can't tell from here. I need to get down to Engineering and check it out first hand … but it isn't going to be a quick fix, Sir."

She looked at him with concern written all over her face. They both knew that emergency beacon meant the shuttle was in serious trouble. What they didn't know was how much time they had left to find it.

* * *

Ford walked back into Engineering, knowing full well that he would find Katie still here. He had spent the night trekking back and forth between the bridge and Engineering as his crew battled to repair the stricken submarine. He found her wedged half way inside a console with wires dangling everywhere. Streaks of dirt were evident on her face and the dark circles under her eyes showed the hours she had been awake. Two other crewmembers were working away at another console that looked to be in the same state as hers.

"Katie, you really need to take a break. Your team have been at this for nearly fourteen hours."

"The captain and Lucas can't afford for me to take a break. We _have_ to get moving again." She looked him in the eye and stood her ground.

They had no idea what state the shuttle was in and had received no word from the captain or Lucas since the earthquake the previous evening. The emergency beacon was still broadcasting and they had finally managed to get a lock on its position. They just couldn't _get_ to that position!

"They only have a limited air supply on board, Sir. We know the shuttle is down somewhere and we don't know if they are injured or…." She just couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence. "I have to get back to it, Sir."

* * *

The man sat on the beach watching the waves roll relentlessly back and forth in front of him. His arm throbbed and his vision was still blurry but he was able to stay sitting upright.

He looked down at the red inflatable jacket he was wearing and tried to recall how he came to have it on in the first place. It obviously wasn't put on properly because the cords were tied around his arm. He tugged at them but they stubbornly refused to shift as the knots had tightened in the water.

He pulled harder but the intense pain that shot up his arm made him stop. Gritting his teeth against the pain he tried again to undo the knots. The rope was cutting into his upper arm but he just couldn't make it budge.

"I need something to cut it off," he said to himself as he looked around the beach for anything that could be useful. Nothing in his immediate vicinity looked like it would do the job but his thoughts were interrupted by the squabbling seagulls further down the beach.

"Yeah…" he said to himself, "seagulls like rock pools and where there's rock pools there's shellfish." He set off in the direction of the seagulls, walking unsteadily along the sand. It didn't take long to find what he was looking for – oysters glued to the rocks in the tidal pools.

Finding a decent sized rock he began to hammer at an oyster shell, trying to pry it loose. As he was forced to use his left hand the blows didn't always hit their target but it wasn't long before he had broken away a useable piece of shell.

He sat down on the rock and started to saw away at the rope tied around his arm. It wasn't easy to keep it steady given that his right arm was throbbing painfully and he still couldn't see clearly.

After cutting himself several times with the jagged shell the rope finally separated and he pulled his arm free. From there it was easy to pull the jacket off over his head.

He looked down at the clothes he was wearing and noticed the logo embroidered onto the front of the uniform. Pulling at it awkwardly with his left hand he managed to turn it a bit so he could get a closer look.

"seaQuest DSV?" It didn't sound even vaguely familiar but whatever it was it made him feel comfortable. "Gotta be something I like I guess."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks again everyone for the kind reviews. I still find it a bit weird that people on the other side of the world are reading my stuff! Meliaka, you're sweltering while I'm freezing – a good reason to stay inside and write.**

**Hey Nans, thanks for the suggestion. I actually had that in there but when I checked out an episode to find out what was written on the uniforms I found that the Captain was the only one that didn't have a name or rank on his uniform. Strange huh? But it plays into my story so I'm happy! So he'll still be "the man" until he gets a name. But I did say in Chapter 1 that his sleeve was dark blue and they were actually black, so one right, one wrong. **

**OK I found Lucas for you – I just wasn't sure where I left him for a while.**

**Chapter Four**

Ford rubbed his hand over his eyes, trying to rub off some of the fatigue he was feeling. Nobody had slept in what seemed like weeks and it was beginning to take its toll on all of them.

The damage to the _seaQuest _had been much worse than they first realised. The engineering team had been hard at work trying to get them moving again. The rudder was almost completely destroyed and the propulsion system was a total mess.

The sub was still at least five hours away from being operational according to Hitchcock's estimates. It had taken hours to drain the flooded compartments but at least the bio skin was regenerating well.

Since the _seaQuest _wasn't going anywhere Ford had ordered a shuttle be sent out to the location of the emergency beacon. The only good news so far was that the shuttle's beacon was coming from further away from the epicentre than the _seaQuest. _Lieutenant Krieg and Chief Crocker had volunteered and they had taken Doctor Westphalen and another medic with them.

Nearly three hours after leaving, Krieg had reported in with grim news. They had located the shuttle but it was severely damaged and lying on the seafloor. The hatch was open and it was full of water. For some unknown reason a rope was tied onto the hatch door.

Ben needed to draw on all his reserves of optimism when he told the others that this was a good thing. Lucas and the captain weren't in there so they must have made it out on the surface before it sank.

_Right? _

So now they just needed to find the life raft and everything would be just fine. He had to keep telling himself that because he refused to believe the alternative.

After checking in with the _seaQuest _Ben had taken the shuttle up to the surface. It was still dark as dawn was at least four hours away. For some illogical reason he had presumed the raft would be floating there on the surface, with Lucas and Bridger just waiting to be found.

All the wishful thinking in the world didn't make it so and Commander Ford had recalled the shuttle, despite Ben's protests that they needed to keep looking.

"Lieutenant, you can't search in the dark. You have no idea which way the currents are running up there. The quake has thrown things off kilter and the raft could be anywhere. Get back here and I'll have Ortiz start the calculations to give you a proper search grid. Otherwise you're just looking for a needle in a haystack."

Krieg knew that he was right but he couldn't help feeling a burst of anger towards his commanding officer. He didn't have time to waste heading back to the _seaQuest _when Lucas and Bridger were still out there somewhere.

"It'll be all right, Ben," Crocker tried to reassure him. "The Nathan Bridger I know is too stubborn to die out here … and young Lucas has probably built a new shuttle out of driftwood by now!"

Ben had to smile in spite of himself. Yeah, that sounded just like Lucas.

* * *

Lucas was freezing. His hands had lost all sensation hours ago but he knew if he let go he would die. He didn't have the strength to swim any further and in the dark he had no idea where he could swim to anyway.

He didn't know how long it was since he had last seen Bridger and despair threatened to overwhelm him. Maybe just letting go wasn't such a bad idea. Did he really want to go on if he had lost the one person he counted on most? Lucas couldn't stop himself as he began to go back over events in his mind.

After fighting so hard to get himself and the captain into the raft he was exhausted. Bridger was still unconscious in spite of the huge waves that were rocking the raft.

Panic began to rise but he refused to allow the frightening thoughts to gain a hold. There was nothing more for him to do but wait and he didn't want to be kept company by those kinds of thoughts.

He realised just how cold he was and he pushed himself up against Bridger's body to try to warm them both up. It didn't help much as they were both drenched but he felt himself begin to relax a little. They had made it out alive and soon the _seaQuest _would come looking for them when they didn't arrive on time. All they had to do was wait it out until the cavalry arrived.

Gradually the giant waves began to subside and Lucas allowed himself to close his eyes for the first time. All he wanted was a hot shower and one _very_ large coffee. A donut wouldn't be too bad either.

Not one of those pretend ones you got in the mess but a real one like the ones Ben got last month. Special delivery … something about connections … hmmm …

The rocking motion of the raft combined with his physical exhaustion and it didn't take long before Lucas was asleep. In the dark the small raft drifted along on its own meandering path.

He awoke with a start, taking a moment for his senses to register that he was in the water again. From what he could see in the moonlight the raft was deflating! They must have hit something. He could make out white foam around him. _Rocks!_

"Captain! Where are you?" he called desperately. He floundered in the freezing water as he tried frantically to get back to the raft but he was being washed onto the nearby rocks instead.

"Captain!" He couldn't see any sign of Bridger and he hoped that his life jacket was still holding firm. A sudden surge of water around him slammed him into the jagged rock and he screamed in pain. He felt himself being sucked under and fought against it by kicking off from the rock.

Lucas came up spitting out salt water. He felt his chest tighten as his body reflexes took over and he started to cough. He didn't have time to take a deep breath before the water surged again and he was pulled under the surface a second time. It seemed like forever before he managed to get his head above water again and the whole coughing fit started over.

As he felt the water begin to surge a third time he reacted on instinct and grabbed hold of the nearest rock. He felt the water slam him into the rock face but at least he didn't go under this time.

* * *

Ben was relieved to hear that the _seaQuest _was underway and heading towards their position. Repairs were still going on but enough had been done to get them operating with nearly seventy percent power.

The trip back had been very quiet as they were each absorbed in their own thoughts and worries. Even the normally mile-a-minute Krieg couldn't find much to say.

Before he could stop the words coming out of his mouth he had asked Doctor Westphalen how long they could survive in the water. He really didn't like the answer he had gotten back so he shut up after that. No more stupid questions with unsettling answers.

After docking the shuttle the search party reported to the bridge. While they were gone Ortiz and O'Neill had been busy running computer simulations to make an educated guess about where a life raft could have drifted to in the given timeframe.

"Commander, that shuttle was pretty beat up but I know they got out."

"That's what we all want to believe, Lieutenant but what makes you so sure?"

"Well the rope on the shuttle door for starters. One of them had to have tied it there and that's not something they would have done underwater."

Krieg wasn't anywhere near as confident as he sounded but one thing he had learned in his role as the morale officer was that sometimes you just had to bluff your way through.

Ford recognised it for what it was but he felt grateful that his officer was helping to hold them all together. Fatigue showed on all their faces but now there was a new resolve as well.

"Mr Ortiz, we need that search grid. We'll be in the search area in twenty five minutes."

"Aye, Sir. Almost done but I'm afraid given the variables it's a rather large area."

"Understood. Assign co-ordinates to each of the shuttles and feed it through to them when you're done. The shuttle crews are waiting in the docking bay."

Kreig stepped up beside the commander. "Ah, Sir? My team is ready to head back out too."

"Ben, you need a break. When was the last time you slept?"

"Probably the same time you did, Sir. I can't just sit here waiting while Lucas and Bridger are still out there." Crocker was standing behind him and the two doctors had moved up to stand with them as well.

Ford looked at the faces before him and knew it was pointless to argue. He knew how badly they wanted to be out there because he felt exactly the same way.


	5. Chapter 5

**I checked in on Lucas for those of you who wanted to know what he was up to. I've gotta tell you he isn't having much fun. But isn't that what you want? **

**Chapter Five**

Lucas had lost all sense of time. His body was numb and his mind wanted to be as well. The longer he stayed there the more sure he was that the captain was dead. When the raft hit the reef and tore apart they had both been thrown into the water. He hadn't seen Bridger since.

He knew how much not knowing his son's fate had eaten at the captain and Lucas began to get an understanding of how it felt. Despite fearing the worst he knew he _had _to have an answer.

He clung to the rock face and stared out into the darkness that seemed to have swallowed his friend. Gradually the black faded to gray but he didn't seem to notice. Eventually he could make out vague outlines and he realised it was nearly dawn.

As the sun began to rise Lucas finally got to get a good look at his surroundings. He was stuck to a rocky stretch of reef that seemed to hug the shoreline of an island. Since he was on the ocean side of the reef he was still being battered by the relentless surge of water against the rocks.

He knew he had to get off the reef and over to the island but he didn't think he had the strength to do it. His hands were raw from clinging to the rock. His legs were so cold they were numb. Every time he tried to take a deep breath his lungs burned and he started to cough.

The first thing he needed to do was get over the reef. Now that he could see the rock face above him, Lucas slowly began to pull himself up.

* * *

Jonathan Ford was an ambitious man who dreamed of commanding the _seaQuest _one day. The three days as acting captain had just served to strengthen his resolve to make that dream a reality. Right now he would happily give up his dream if it meant that Captain Bridger was standing here on the bridge again.

He stared at the viewscreen which showed the images coming from the Hyper Reality Probe. The battered shuttle lay on the seafloor and Katie was using the probe to confirm that the life raft had actually been deployed. They were relived to see that it had been.

Darwin had swum down to the empty shuttle with the probe and was now swimming around nearby. He reminded Ford of a bloodhound trying to get a scent to follow. He knew that wasn't possible but he also knew there was a strong, undefinable bond between the dolphin and both the captain and Lucas.

All of the _seaQuest_'_s _shuttles and sea crabs were currently out looking for them. Every one of them had two members of the medical team aboard as Ford knew it was highly likely they would be needed. Ortiz and O'Neill had run the numbers three times to make sure they were covering the right area. The problem was the earthquake had temporarily messed up water currents in the area and they could only use computer simulations to make an educated guess.

What complicated things even more was the area they were in had dozens of uninhabited islands. Ford prayed they had made it to land but there was still an awful lot of coastline to search and even more ocean in between.

* * *

Lucas sat on top of the rocks trying to rub some feeling back into his legs. He felt like he had just climbed Mt Everest. He tried to estimate the distance across to the island and decided that it was too far to swim but maybe he could try survival backstroke. If he floated on his back he wouldn't have to waste energy lifting his head to breathe.

He looked down at the swirling water and baulked at the thought of getting back into it. _"If our places were reversed Captain Bridger would come looking for me." _

With that in mind he edged down the rock and slid back into the icy water. Rolling over onto his back he pushed off from the rock and started to kick. His leg muscles refused to work properly so he resorted to a kind of frog kick. Every few minutes he had to stop and tread water as his leg muscles cramped up. More than once he found himself going under.

What should have been a five minute swim seemed to go on forever before he felt himself being caught up in the breaking waves. He rolled over to face the shoreline and allowed the momentum of the waves to carry him ashore. Lucas dragged himself up the beach away from the waves and collapsed onto the sand. His lungs were burning and his leg muscles were in spasms. He lay back on the sand and closed his eyes.

* * *

Sounds and images kept playing over and over in his mind. That same face from before. Blue eyes. Blonde hair. He clenched his fists in frustration and pounded the sand. Sitting here wasn't getting him any answers. He had already worked out that something catastrophic had happened and whoever this blonde kid was, he was involved. Maybe he was hurt. He could have washed up somewhere along the beach too.

"_I have to find him."_

When he tried to stand up the man felt the throbbing in his head increase. He had gotten used to looking at the world through blurry eyes but he was finding it difficult to focus on what he needed to do next.

Forcing himself to take one step at a time he slowly walked along the sand towards a small rocky headland. By the time he got there he was having serious trouble keeping his thoughts straight. He had to sit down and he leaned back against the rocks and closed his eyes.

A voice beside him made him open them again. _Robert!_

* * *

Krieg and Crocker scanned the shoreline for any sign of life. They had circumnavigated the small island twice already as UEO procedures said they needed to do. This was the third one so far and they hadn't found a thing. Doctor Westphalen and Ensign Johanssen ran the search data through the computer and checked off another grid. All of the shuttles were feeding their data to one another and they could see just how little of the search grid had been covered.

Kristen looked at the coloured section on the grid and tried to keep a scientific point of view about it. This was a mathematical process and they just needed to keep going. Sooner or later one of the search vessels would turn up something. They _had _to.

* * *

Lucas opened his eyes and realised the sun had risen significantly. He had been asleep for at least three hours. The temperature had risen a little but he was still wearing wet clothes and they clung uncomfortably to his skin. He slowly sat up and tried to ignore his aching muscles. It still hurt to breathe and he had to force himself to take slow, shallow breaths.

Looking down the beach he noticed debris along the tideline. Something caught his eye and he realised it looked like the life raft! Forgetting how sore he was he stood up and headed down to where the object was. If the raft had made it to shore then maybe the captain had too.

As he got nearer Lucas saw that it wasn't the whole raft. It was much too small. Upon closer inspection he found it was just a piece of the raft. It seemed to have been torn apart and he felt the anxiety rising again. The rocks had shredded it. He knew how battered he was. What had they done to Bridger, especially if he couldn't do anything to protect himself?

Lucas hurried on down the beach looking for any more signs of his friend. A few more pieces of the raft littered the shore. As his eyes wandered around the shoreline he could see that this beach was part of a large bay with a small rocky headland jutting out ahead of him.

He looked at the rocks before him and was immediately overwhelmed with mental images of the previous night. His breath caught in his throat and before he knew it he was coughing again. As he had done before he had to force himself to breathe slow and shallow. Finally he felt ready to go on and he gingerly climbed up onto the first rock.

The outcrop wasn't very big and Lucas made it to the top in a few minutes. He looked around to find the best way down and nearly fell over with shock. Only a few feet below him was the captain! He scrambled down the rocks and dropped to his knees in front of him.

"Captain?" he gently shook him but got no response. "Captain, can you hear me?"

Bridger slowly opened his eyes and stared at the boy in front of him.

"Robert?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for the reviews – you guys are a laugh! Joxer I don't think I'm _entirely_ to blame for your mental health – you only just met me. And I gave you Ben without hurting him this time. You said I could pick on anyone else so I am!**

**Lynn, you're a sweetie, you always have something encouraging to say to everyone. Must be something in the name – It's my name too :-)**

**Anyhow back to the story…..**

**Chapter Six**

_"Robert?"_

"Captain! I can't believe you're here. I thought … I thought …" his voice trailed off. He didn't want to be reminded of what he had thought. "Are you OK, Sir?"

Bridger continued to stare at him with a blank expression but didn't answer. Lucas grabbed his hand and was surprised to feel the captain was shaking. _"He's as cold as me."_

When the captain flinched at his touch, Lucas took a closer look and realised his hand looked bruised. Gently pulling back the sleeve he gasped at the sight. The captain's arm was obviously broken and he realised how painful it must be. It needed treatment but other than splinting it he didn't know what else to do.

"Captain, we need to get down from here and out of the wind. Are you all right to walk? … Sir? … Can you hear me?"

Slowly the mask over his face began to slip and Bridger lifted his good hand to rub his face.

"Robert. We weren't expecting you for dinner but your mother will be …" he stopped and shook his head. Looking back up at Lucas with a frown on his face he swallowed and started over. "You! … I remember … you were … yelling at me … can't …" He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the memory that wouldn't come.

Lucas was staring at his friend trying to work out what was going on. He wasn't making any sense.

"Captain? We were in the shuttle. Don't you remember? We were heading back to _seaQuest _when we were hit by something. The shuttle went down and we …"

"_seaQuest_! I know that name! It … it's on my shirt!" he was getting agitated and breathing unevenly. He pulled at the logo on his shirt as though it held answers that he couldn't grasp.

Lucas placed his hand on his friend's shoulder to try to calm him. It was obvious something was seriously wrong but he had no idea what to do about it. He thought back to the previous night and remembered how the captain was thrown across the shuttle and knocked unconscious. Fear started to rise as he realised he was not only dealing with a broken arm but a serious head injury too. "_He thinks I'm Robert!"_

"Captain, do you remember what happened to us?"

"What? Of course I do! Carol was planning on going to … she wanted to go to … " he frowned and rubbed his hand over his eyes again as though it would clear the fog.

" I know you. You were there … I was looking for you … who the hell are you?" He was struggling to focus on the face before him. Blonde hair. "I know you … " he whispered before closing his eyes again.

Lucas sat back against the rock and tried to calm his breathing. His chest ached as he tried to keep a lid on his panic. They were stuck on some godforsaken island with no supplies. Nobody knew where they were and now he was dealing with _this! _

* * *

The alarm went off and Ben rolled over to shut it off. Ford had placed the crew on rotating four hour shifts so everyone could get at least a few hours sleep. He felt like he'd only been asleep a few minutes.

He pulled himself up off the bunk and rubbed his hand along his jaw. Normally turning up for duty with stubble on his face would earn him a reprimand but not today. He pulled on a fresh uniform and headed out the door towards the launch bay. He wasn't surprised to see that Crocker was already there, organising to take over a shuttle from a returning crew.

"Any news, Chief?" he asked, already knowing the answer. If they'd been found it would have been all over the boat like wildfire.

"Nothing yet, Ben." His face looked grim. They all knew that each passing hour lowered the odds of survival in such cold water.

Doctor Westphalen hurried into the shuttle bay, followed closely by Ensign Johanssen. "Are we ready to go, Lieutenant?" she asked.

"Sure are. We're gonna find them today. I can feel it!" He grinned at her. That natural optimism was starting to wear out but he felt compelled to try anyway. Life on this sub without Lucas just wasn't part of the plan. He liked having Bridger in charge but he loved having the kid around. Who else could he rely on to play along with his latest hare-brained scheme? He shook himself out of his thoughts and focused on getting the shuttle out into the water again.

* * *

"Captain? The _seaQuest _is a submarine and we live there. You're the captain. Don't you remember?" He leaned closer as if willing his friend to remember.

"A submarine? Kids don't live on submarines. The UEO doesn't let captains take their family aboard."

"My name is Lucas. I live on the _seaQuest _as part of the science crew." He looked at Bridger's face for any sign of understanding but got none.

"OK, never mind. We need to get down from here and find something for that arm. Can you stand up?" Lucas tried to ease in beside the captain and pull him into a standing position. Struggling to steady his weight, he managed to stand up and by keeping his arm around the captain's waist Lucas started the slow process of getting them both down off the rocks.

Fortunately it wasn't too far down and they eventually made it to the dry sand below. Bridger stared out at the rolling surf before him.

"Water … I need water," he said.

Lucas knew how thirsty he was too and realised neither of them had had anything to drink since the night before.

"All right, that's a priority. Find some water. But first I need to find something to splint your arm."

"What are you talking about? There's plenty of water right in front of us." He gestured at the blue expanse in front of them.

"Yeah, if only we could drink it," Lucas looked at him with a wry grin.

Bridger continued to stare out over the ocean and Lucas wasn't sure he had even heard him. "I think I know how the Ancient Mariner felt."

"Who?"

"Oh come on, Robbie. We had that poem memorized. _"Water, water, every where, nor any drop to drink."_ You always looked at the pelicans a little suspiciously after that. You said they reminded you of albatrosses. Of course you were only twelve so I couldn't blame you."

"Uh yeah … sure," Lucas decided arguing wasn't going to serve any purpose so he would just have to play along with the captain's erratic thoughts.

Looking around him as they walked Lucas finally spotted a small shrub that had branches thick enough to use for a splint. He sat the captain down in the sand and snapped a couple off. He pulled off his shirt and ripped out the sleeves then ripped them in half lengthwise.

He knelt down in the sand and looked at his friend. "Captain, I need to put this on your arm and it's gonna hurt … OK?"

Bridger just nodded at him as Lucas tried as gently as possible to splint his arm. He could tell by the look on his face that it hurt like hell but it needed to be done. Finally he took the last pieces of cloth and fashioned them into a sling. It wasn't pretty but it would have to do.

"Did Kristin teach you to do that?"

Lucas looked startled at the mention of the doctor. "You know who Kristin is?" he asked hopefully. Getting no answer he tried again. "Captain, do you remember who Kristin is? Doctor Westphalen? From _seaQuest?_"

The captain didn't answer so Lucas decided to drop it and get on with looking for water. He put what was left of his shirt back on and stood up and walked a short way along the beach, trying to see if there was any sign of a creek or fresh water run off . He didn't know if the captain was in any state to go traipsing around in search of fresh water but he didn't think he could be left alone either. While Lucas was busy debating this with himself the captain made up his mind for him.

Bridger stood up and starting heading towards the water line. Lucas turned back when he heard the movement and ran to stop him.

_**"The Rhime of the Ancient Mariner" is by Samuel Taylor Colleridge and is about sailors becalmed and dying at sea.**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi Sara, I know what you mean but since I had to go back to work (and they actually expect me to work!) it's either longer chapters with bigger delays or shorter ones with quicker updates. I hate waiting myself so I'm opting for shorter and quicker. Hope that's OK cos my boss might complain otherwise.**

**Thanks Teresa – I wanted to write a story where Lucas is out of his comfort zone ie no computer and see what he'd do.**

**Chapter Seven**

Lucas ran back towards the captain and grabbed his shoulder before he made it to the water. He was puffing heavily and couldn't believe such a short run could make him so breathless. He couldn't stop the coughing fit that followed and he had to hold onto the captain to stop himself falling over.

"_I'm not that unfit!" _he thought.

"Are you OK, kid?"

"Yeah, just … can't … catch my breath," he wheezed. _"This really sucks!" _He knew something wasn't right but he pushed the thought aside as he had bigger problems to take care of. Like keeping a leash on a grown man who seemed to have lost his mind.

He knew that he couldn't leave the captain alone so once he had calmed his breathing down to something close to normal Lucas suggested they keep heading down the beach in search of water. He felt achy all over and figured he was developing a serious cold but they needed to keep moving anyway.

His stomach started to rumble and he realised it was probably around lunch time, given the position of the sun. If this was the warmest part of the day it was shaping up to be a very cold night. He shivered at the thought of spending another night out here but at least it wouldn't be as awful as last night. He hoped he never experienced anything like _that_ again.

They had walked quite a distance in silence when Lucas noticed something further along the beach. Whatever it was, it was red. _The lifejacket?_ He'd forgotten all about it until now and hadn't even thought about the captain taking it off. "_So this is where he washed up then."_

He glanced over at Bridger and saw that he had noticed it too. The look on his face told Lucas he was still trying to put pieces together and the sight of the jacket had prompted something.

"_Maybe it will jog his memory," _he hoped.

Bridger bent down to pick up the jacket and Lucas noticed the frayed cords as the captain stared at them.

"How did you get this off, Sir?"

"It was … hurting my arm." He looked up at Lucas with a frown and then smiled. "I cut it off … with a shell."

Lucas smiled back as a tiny chunk of memory fell into place. It didn't matter how insignificant it was, he felt like he'd just won the lottery.

"Yeah, that's it. And then you walked down the beach. Do you remember why?"

"I was … looking … for you! I didn't know where you were." The anxiety level in his voice started to rise and Lucas decided to change tack. He eased the jacket out of the captain's hand.

"We can use this as a marker for when the _seaQuest _comes looking for us. It's the most visible thing we have so we need to raise it up somehow."

Looking around him the only thing he could think of was to hang it from one of the trees and hope the colour or movement would attract the attention of any search party.

"We need to leave them a message so they know we're both here. In case they come while we're off looking for water." Without any kind of writing instruments Lucas seemed lost for ideas until he looked back at the severed ropes. "_Of course! The shell."_

He looked around in the sand until he found the shell the captain had discarded earlier and began to scratch initials into the black webbing of the life jacket. It was tougher than he had counted on and it took quite a bit of effort to carve NB and LW into it. He was hunched over while he worked and he had to keep sitting back up straight to catch his breath.

_"I don't have time for that now!"_ he angrily told himself and kept on with the it was done so he stood up slowly and headed over to the trees. He checked them out to find one that had branches that were high enough to be visible but low enough to climb. He selected one he thought he could manage and slinging the jacket over his arm, he started the climb up.

* * *

Jonathan Ford was not a man used to sitting on his hands. He was used to being in the thick of the action and this standing around waiting was driving him crazy. Under normal circumstances he would have been out _there_, leading the search teams, co-ordinating things from a shuttle. Instead he was stuck in _here, _trying to keep the focus on the right things. Things that didn't include how many hours it had been since they first received that emergency distress signal. Or thinking about just how small and vulnerable a life raft really was.

He knew the numbers Doctor Westphalen had given him about cold water exposure and hypothermia but right now he didn't want to think about that. He was a practical person and what had always been a good military trait was now coming back to bite him. He didn't want to be practical damn it! He wanted to be _out there! _

Ford had placed the crew on rotating shifts to make sure they all went to get some rest. In a way it had also forced him into heading to his quarters. He couldn't expect them to follow the order if he tried to say it didn't apply to him too. Even though he had gone to his quarters he hadn't gotten any sleep.

He couldn't help but feel completely useless as he paced around the small room so finally he decided to head back up to the bridge. It had only been two hours but he was in charge and given the look on his face it was unlikely anyone would question him being back so soon. As he rounded the corner to the clam doors he was deep in thought and almost ran into Lieutenant O'Neill.

"Tim! You're not due back on duty for two hours."

O'Neill cleared his throat and looked away for a second, hoping he wasn't going to be ordered back to sit in his quarters for another two hours.

"Uh, neither are you, Sir."

Ford looked at him and slowly nodded. "Yeah," was all he said before walking though the doors onto the busy bridge. O'Neill followed behind feeling he had won a small victory. Maybe that was a good sign for the rest of this shift.

* * *

After climbing down from the tree Lucas found he was out of breath again so he sat down next to Bridger in the sand to take a short rest. They seriously needed to find some water. His throat hurt and he knew they were both starting to dehydrate.

"Captain, do you remember if there was anything else that washed up along here? Anything we could use?" he looked over at Bridger hoping he was going to catch a break here.

When the captain didn't answer he gave him a gentle shake on his shoulder and was surprised to feel he was trembling again.

"Captain!" Bridger seemed lost in his thoughts and totally unaware of Lucas' presence beside him. After shaking him some more Lucas realised he was staring blankly ahead. "C'mon Captain! You have to snap out of this! Look at me …please!"

It seemed like hours before Bridger finally turned his head towards Lucas but he seemed dazed. The trembling had stopped but he was obviously far from all right. He seemed on the verge of speaking but a look of confusion crossed his face and he said nothing.

* * *

Ford realised he hadn't seen any sign of Darwin since checking in on the shuttle. Maybe the dolphin had been back while he was off duty.

"Miguel, has Darwin been back at all?"

"No, Sir, haven't seen him in hours."

Ford nodded to himself as he knew that Darwin was out there somewhere, looking just as urgently as they were.

_"At least someone is!" _he thought angrily. He had called in to Admiral Noyce shortly after the distress beacon had come through but the nearest UEO vessels were either too far from the search area to help immediately or else involved in their own dramas after the earthquake. The few small colonies out this way were also in need of help and for the time being the _seaQuest _was on its own.

* * *

Lucas was getting really worried. Bridger had barely spoken since they had left the tree with the life jacket hanging from it. They had continued down the beach in search of water and he had tried to get a conversation going several times. The confused comments he had been getting before were worrying enough but this silence was really starting to scare him. He had played along with the captain's belief that he was Robert, mainly because he didn't know what else to do. There was no point arguing and it had seemed to keep Bridger partially focused.

Now he was getting no response at all. He wished Ben were here. As much as Krieg acted like a big kid, when it really came down to it Lucas knew he could depend on him. It was ironic really he thought to himself. The two people he counted on most in the world and one of them seemed to be slipping away from him and the other didn't even know where he was!

The temperature was dropping rapidly and Lucas shivered in his torn shirt. He realised he would need to find somewhere for them to shelter for the night. There were still a couple of hours of daylight left but they still hadn't found any water and he was feeling the effects of dehydration. His mouth felt like sandpaper and he wished he could just curl up under the nearest tree and wait for someone else to come along and sort out this mess.

Lost in his thoughts Lucas didn't immediately register that the captain had stopped walking. He turned back to him just in time to see him collapse on the sand. His whole body was twitching and as Lucas dropped down beside him he realised it was a seizure. He knew there was nothing he could do to stop it so he knelt there helplessly holding his friend's hand, silently willing it to stop.


	8. Chapter 8

**This story is driving me crazy! It won't leave me alone until I finish it. So here goes….**

**Chapter Eight**

It only lasted a few minutes but to Lucas it felt like hours. He had never felt so completely useless as he watched the captain's body convulse in front of him. He had a hold of his friend's hand but almost wished he didn't as he felt his fingers being crushed.

When it finally stopped he didn't know whether to be relieved or more scared. Bridger's face seemed drained of colour and his skin felt clammy.

At least during the seizure there were signs of life. Now the captain was so deathly still that Lucas was almost afraid to check for a pulse.

* * *

Ben looked out at the view before him and clenched his fist in frustration. They had just checked off another section but it would soon be dark and they still hadn't seen any sign of the raft or its occupants. He looked over his shoulder at the others and he could see they were feeling the same way.

"How much of that grid have we covered, Doc?"

Kristin looked up at him, equal frustration showing in her eyes.

"Not enough. This is taking too long."

They continued on in silence for a while, each one lost in their own thoughts. Ben was startled out of his thoughts by a gray flash in front of him.

"Did you see that, Chief?"

"Yeah."

There it was again! Darwin had finally shown up.

Crocker had begun to turn the small craft onto a new heading so they could cover the next section of the search pattern while they still had some daylight. He was surprised to see the dolphin swim across the bow of the shuttle. As they continued on in the same direction he realised Darwin was pacing the shuttle. He sped off and leaped across in front of the shuttle again.

Ben grabbed Crocker's arm.

"Do you think he knows something, Chief?

"Well he hasn't been back to the _seaQuest_ so it makes sense he's been out looking too. He found Lucas once before and…."

"And we all know how attached he is to the captain and Lucas!" Ben grinned. "Follow that dolphin!"

* * *

For the first time in hours Ford allowed himself to really hope. He hadn't realised how hopeless he had felt until then. Duty had kept him focused on what he needed to do and he had managed to push emotion aside for a time. Only minutes before Krieg had called in to say that Darwin had turned up and they were heading towards an island that hadn't been searched yet. As he looked around at the crew on duty Ford noted that the atmosphere on the bridge seemed to have suddenly changed.

* * *

Lucas felt like his chest was going to explode. He was barely holding it together and he was terrified the captain was going to die. He hadn't woken up since the seizure and his pulse didn't seem right. Not that Lucas was experienced in medical things but he knew enough to know that a heartbeat was supposed to be steady.

"I know you probably can't hear me but … "

But _what? _

Everything that came to mind sounded so stupid. Like some bad movie. All the things he wanted to say sounded like cliches but then didn't things become cliches because they were true?

He sat silently in the sand and clung onto Bridger's hand. There were so many things running through his mind and he couldn't stop the memories that threatened to swamp him.

"You always taught me to look at all the options. Well dying here isn't one of them! Do you hear me? That's _not _one of your options today."

* * *

As Crocker followed Darwin in the shuttle it quickly became obvious that he really was leading them somewhere. They were heading in a direct path towards an island that was part of the next search grid. As their shift was nearly up it would have been the next crew who would have covered this section.

Checking his instrument panel, Crocker could see they were coming in close to a reef. Sonar showed most of it was just under the surface and navigating it was going to be treacherous. It was easy for a single dolphin to skim through but for the larger shuttle it was a much tighter squeeze.

He carefully maneuvered them through the rocks and caught up with Darwin on the other side of the reef. As they scanned along the beach it was Kristin who first spotted a piece of the life raft. She felt both excited and a sense of dread at the same time. There was more of the raft along the shoreline.

"Shuttle Six to _seaQuest. _Come in _seaQuest._"

'We read you Shuttle Six. What have you got?" Ford's voice came back over the radio.

"We've found the life raft! It's in pieces but it's washed up on an island. We're still looking for them but the light is fading. You need to get more search teams here, fast!"

"We have your co-ordinates, Ben. I'm diverting more crews to you now. Keep us posted."

Ford turned back to O'Neill. "Get every shuttle in the vicinity to that island. Helm, lay in a course. Full speed!"

"Aye, Sir."

There was no sign of life along the beach so they decided to circle the island before heading ashore. As they continued along parallel to the beach it was clear the life raft had been torn apart on the reef. Debris had washed up in various places but there was still no indication that either the captain or Lucas had made it ashore.

Kristin's heart was in her mouth as she stared out at the shoreline. She refused to believe they weren't here. The idea that she could have lost them both made her feel physically ill and she steadfastly pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

The shuttle had rounded a small rocky headland and there didn't seem to be any more of the life raft on this side. Ben was about to suggest they head back the other way when something caught his attention.

"Over there Chief! Turn the searchlights back that way!"

Crocker swung the powerful lights back in the direction Krieg was pointing and suddenly they all saw it – something red swinging from a tree.

As they got closer Ben slapped Crocker on the back and grinned. "Now Chief, does that or does that not look like a UEO life jacket to you?"

It only took minutes for Crocker to beach the shuttle and Ben seemed to be out on the sand before they had even stopped moving. He sprinted to the tree and scrambled up to pull down the jacket. He jumped back down to the sand and turned the jacket over in his hands.

"What's that? Along the webbing?" Johannsen turned it back over in Krieg's hands. "There!"

He ran his hand over the scratched webbing. NB and LW! They were here!

"Lucas! Captain!" he started shouting. The others joined in but they didn't get any answer back.

"Wait a minute!" Crocker stopped them. "This…these initials. Do you think maybe they left them here as a message. So we'd know they were here. But for some reason they left."

Krieg nodded at him. "We have to get back to the shuttle. They weren't back that way. We have to keep going this way. Let's presume for now they stuck to the shoreline. We'll start searching inland once the others get here."

Lucas saw the lights moving along the water and took a minute to register what it meant. Exhaustion, fear and breathlessness were all combining to slow his reaction time. He stood up and ran down to the water line waving frantically to get their attention. He felt like crying with relief when he saw the shuttle change direction and head towards him. He ran back to where the captain was and grabbed his hand again.

"Cavalry's here," he grinned.

The shuttle came to a stop on the sand and Lucas called out urgently. "Over here! Hurry!"

Doctor Westphalen dropped down in the sand beside him. She noted his ragged breathing but decided Bridger needed her help more urgently.

"How long has he been unconscious?"

"Over an hour I guess. He had some kind of seizure. He hit his head last night and was knocked out and then we got separated and he was really spacey when I found him today."

"Spacey?"

"Um, he seemed really out of it and then he'd get the shakes and … and he thought I was Robert and … he kept staring at things like he wasn't really seeing them."

"Small seizures building up in intensity. We need to get him back to _seaQuest_! He's most likely bleeding into the brain."

Crocker and Krieg lifted him as gently as they could and carried him back to the shuttle. Lucas walked along behind with Johannsen, relieved to know that finally someone who knew what they were doing was taking care of his friend. He watched as they laid the captain down across the bench seat and then the doctor checked his pupils for a reaction.

Crocker quickly had the shuttle back in the water and Ben was on the radio calling it in.

Lucas lay back along the seat and closed his eyes. His chest hurt with every breath he took and he just couldn't seem to get enough air. Every time he took a deep breath he would start off another violent coughing fit. Dr Westphalen was busy with the captain and Ensign Johanssen knelt by Lucas' side, monitoring his pulse and breathing. He recognised her from medbay. She was one of the new trainee doctors who had come aboard after the last shore leave.

"_She's really pretty," _he thought to himself and then smiled. _"I must be OK if I'm thinking about a girl." _He suddenly remembered the captain's story about Carol and his broken nose and he started to laugh. It quickly brought on another coughing fit and before he knew it his head was spinning. Struggling to breathe, he tried to sit up but had no strength.

"Doctor! You need to see this!" Johanssen called urgently. "He's coughing up something strange. It looks like … froth?"

Kristin ran over to check and sure enough, Lucas had foam around his mouth.

"Sit him up! Quickly!" They pulled Lucas into a sitting position but he continued to wheeze and gasp for air. His lips were turning blue as he couldn't draw enough air into his lungs.

"Lucas? You need to relax. Slow breaths."

He looked at her with panic in his eyes.

"Oh God! He's drowning."

"_What?_ He hasn't been in the water, Doctor!"

"But he was and he's still got salt water in his lungs."

Before the young ensign could make sense of what Westphalen was saying Lucas slumped against her and she realised he had stopped breathing.


	9. Chapter 9

**OK – confession time. The end of the last chapter was actually the first part I wrote for this story. I saw a newspaper article about secondary drowning and thought it would make a good storyline. I just had to work out how to get there so you've been dragged along while my convoluted brain worked out the rest of the details. It is a real phenomenon and not just something I made up. So for those of you who commented on cliffhangers – I've had one going on in my head for weeks! And no I'm not in therapy, yet, but if I keep writing fanfic I may end up there :-)**

**Chapter Nine**

"Lucas!"

Ben shot out of his seat and ran to the back of the shuttle. _Drowning? _He couldn't have heard the doctor properly. Lucas wasn't drowning. He was exhausted for sure. Asleep on the seat. _Not _drowning. Not here, safely inside the shuttle. He watched the scene before him and couldn't believe what he was seeing. Lucas _was not _drowning.

Then why were the two of them trying so frantically to get him to breathe? Johannsen had a hand held respirator over his face to force air into his lungs and she counted every breath as Kristin was doing cardiac compressions. She looked up and yelled at him.

"Ben! Take care of Nathan. Let medbay know what we're dealing with. We need a surgical team ready when we arrive."

His legs refused to move. This wasn't happening.

"Uh yeah, um…"

"Lieutenant!"

He snapped around and headed over to where the captain was. He hadn't moved since they had placed him on the seat. Take care of him – _yeah, right! _The only thing he knew to do was check for a pulse. Ben knelt down beside him and realised that Crocker was already speaking to the _seaQuest._

"Commander, we're still about twenty minutes out."

"All right, Chief. The med teams will be ready for you when you get here. Anything else you need?"

"Can you crank up those engines any faster?"

"We're already running at full speed. We'll be there soon."

"_You need to be here NOW!" _thought Ben. He felt the captain move beside him and looked down to see his body begin to convulse.

"Doc! What do I do?" he called helplessly.

Kristin looked up and realised another seizure had started.

"Just stop him from hurting himself. Protect his head and don't let him fall off the seat. See if you can get that sling off from around his neck. Let me know when it stops." She turned her attention back to Lucas while keeping an ear out for what was happening on the other side of the shuttle.

Ben tried to ease the sling off Bridger's arm and even though he knew the captain couldn't feel it, he cringed at what he was doing anyway. He slipped the knot around to the front and tried to undo it. As the seizure subsided he looked down at the captain's pale, sweaty face and realised that Lucas had already experienced this. "_He must have been terrified watching this," _Ben thought.

Kristin stopped the compressions to check Lucas for a pulse. She smiled as she felt a faint beat beneath her fingers and she looked expectantly towards Johannsen. The smile quickly faded as the ensign shook her head. He still wasn't breathing on his own.

"Come on. We're nearly there," she whispered to him.

"Kristin? What's happening over there?" Ben called from the other side of the shuttle.

"I've got a thready pulse but I'm going to have to intubate him. He still isn't breathing unassisted."

She rifled through the medical supplies she had brought aboard until she found what she needed. Putting in a ventilator tube was something she had done many times before but this time was different. This time she had a sixteen-year-old boy in front of her who meant far more to her than she had ever allowed herself to admit. And this time she felt she was to blame for his condition as she had failed to realise what state he was in back on the island.

* * *

As soon as word came through from Crocker that they had found the captain and Lucas a shout of relief had gone up around the bridge. It had been short-lived though as he had relayed the medical information on their respective conditions. Ford transferred the information through to medbay while O'Neill began recalling the rest of the search craft.

He knew they were still about fifteen minutes away but Ford couldn't stand waiting around on the bridge any longer.

"Commander, you have the bridge," he looked over at Katie. She nodded at him and tried to smile encouragingly as Ford left the bridge and headed down to the docking bay.

As the shuttle finally docked there was a flurry of activity in the docking bay. Doctor Jacobs had two med teams waiting well before the shuttle arrived and now they sprang into action. The shuttle door swung open and the first two medics ran through. Their military training carried them past the initial shocking sight of their captain and they quickly transferred him to a gurney.

Ben was forced to squeeze up against the wall as they backed out of the cramped shuttle and raced off to medbay. Ford stared after them as he took in the condition of his captain. "_What happened out there?"_

The second gurney was wheeled in and Lucas was quickly lifted onto it. Ensign Johannsen was relieved by another medic who took over with the ventilator. She flexed her hands and shook them to try to ease the muscle tension as she followed the gurney down the corridor.

Doctor Westphalen was issuing directions while walking briskly alongside Lucas. She knew the surgical team was all ready for the captain and he had been whisked off out of her sight already. It took all her professionalism to stop herself running after them.

They would be scrubbed and ready to start surgery immediately whereas she would only delay things if she insisted on scrubbing in too. She knew he was in excellent hands and as much as she wanted to be there too, she wouldn't delay treatment for any reason. She knew the seizure that she had witnessed wasn't the first one he had experienced and from what Lucas had said they were getting worse. There was no time to waste so right now she had to focus on Lucas instead.

Krieg and Crocker were left standing in the empty shuttle and neither one seemed to know what to do next. Since they had first seen Darwin until now had been a rollercoaster of emotion and they were both feeling drained.

Ford stepped through the door and looked at both of them. He saw his own fear mirrored in their faces and he knew that whatever he had experienced here was nothing compared to what these two men had just been through. Crocker had kept them informed of events on the shuttle ride back to _seaQuest _and Ford knew it had been a tense trip home.

Ben opened his mouth to speak but nothing appropriate came to mind. All three of them were seasoned military men and yet each one of them felt shaken to the core. Nothing needed to be said. Their faces said it all. Ben stared at the seat where not long before he had seen the doctor trying desperately to get his young friend to breathe. Without a word he turned and walked out of the shuttle and headed for medbay.

Ford turned back to Crocker and asked, "What happened out there, Chief? When you radioed in you said Lucas had run down the beach. What happened to him?"

Crocker shook his head as though he was trying to make sense of recent events. "We got Bridger on the shuttle and started heading back when all hell broke loose in the back. Lucas … he just … stopped breathing! Kristin said he was drowning, something about still having water in his lungs. I dunno, Commander, I thought you had to be in the water to drown but I guess not."

"You got them back, Chief. Let's go and see what's happening in medbay."

* * *

Even though Lucas had a weak pulse he still wasn't breathing. The medic had kept the ventilator going in a rhythmic motion until they reached medbay and then Kristin moved quickly to replace it with the mechanical ventilator.

With the tube in place already it didn't take long before Lucas was breathing in a steady rhythm courtesy of the ventilator. The machine beeped softly each time he took a breath. Another monitor showed his heart rate and it was still too slow and uneven.

Kristin frowned at the readings on the monitor as she noticed his blood oxygen levels were still way too low. For some reason he still wasn't getting enough oxygen and she grabbed the stethoscope to work out why.

Ben pushed his way through the heavy medbay doors and stopped short when he saw the monitors and machines surrounding Lucas. As much as they scared him, the fact that they were beeping steadily sounded comforting. He had no idea what was being done and he hung back, waiting to see what happened.

Minutes later Ford and Crocker followed him through the door. Westphalen had noted their entrance but was too busy to deal with them right now.

"You need to wait outside. I'll come and let you know how he is as soon as I can." She pushed a wisp of stray hair aside as she gently probed Lucas' ribs. She was shocked at how bruised and gashed he was but was relieved to find there was no sign of broken ribs.

Ben didn't seem like he was going to move but Ford placed a hand on his shoulder and steered him back out the door. Eventually Kristin walked back out and sat down on the vacant chair across from Ford. She looked exhausted but smiled at them anyway.

"I can only surmise what happened out there but I would guess that Lucas spent an extended amount of time in the water. He said they were separated when the raft sank. He must have inhaled a significant amount of water because his lungs started to shut down. I didn't pick up on it but it's called secondary drowning. Not enough to drown instantly but if left untreated, can cause death within twenty four hours."

She paused and rubbed her hand over her face. Lucas had nearly died because she missed something important.

"Anyway the lining of the lungs gets inflamed and fluid builds up which reduces the flow of oxygen. His left lung had collapsed but we've put in a chest tube and that's being treated."

"What about the machine you had him on?" Ben asked. "Can't he breathe?"

"The ventilator is doing the work for him at the moment. It's helping to re-inflate the lung."

"So, ah, is he going to be all right?" Ford had noted the guilt in her voice and wasn't sure what to make of it.

"It's too soon to tell but yes I think he will be all right. I want to leave him on the ventilator until he's stronger."

Ben smiled with relief and then frowned again as he realised the doctor hadn't yet said anything about Bridger.

Ford beat him to the question and Kristin paused as though carefully measuring her words before speaking.

"I'm heading in there in a minute but I've been getting updates from the operating theatre. From what Lucas said, Nathan was injured last night and knocked unconscious. He has a serious skull fracture which has been untreated for far too long. Lucas described symptoms of seizures that have been happening all day. They were also increasing in intensity. He has been bleeding into the brain for the past twenty four hours and Doctor Jacobs said there was significant swelling of the brain." She paused as though she didn't want to go on.

"So what happens now?" Ford asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"We wait and see," she said as she stood up, getting ready to head into the theatre.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks again for the great reviews. Glad you're hanging in there with me. Thanks Lynn for the offer of a psychiatrist – does he make housecalls to Australia? **

**Chapter Ten**

Kristin leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. The only noise around her was the steady beep of monitors. The medbay was finally quiet as the last of the worried crew had been chased out and she felt the weight of exhaustion settle over her. This felt like it had been the longest day of her life. She was startled from her thoughts by a gentle hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see the kind brown eyes of Doctor Jacobs.

"I'm not even going to bother trying to get you to go to bed but here, I brought you some tea." She smiled as he handed her a steaming cup of Earl Grey and she gratefully took a sip.

"How did you go with the neurosurgeon?"

"Well I just finished speaking with him and he's going to review the charts and get back to me. In the meantime we've done all we can, Kristin."

"I know, thankyou." She looked over at the bed before continuing. "I don't know how many times I have had to tell family members they would just have to wait and see how their child or brother or wife would be but ….." she put her hand over her mouth to stop the sob that nearly escaped.

"But it's different when it's someone you care about." They both turned around to see Ben standing in the doorway holding pillows and blankets.

"Lieutenant, I thought you had gone to your quarters to sleep."

"Yeah, well, I figured you'd still be here and could do with some company. Besides I wasn't going to get much sleep down there tonight."

Jacobs looked at the pair of them and knew there was no point arguing. He shrugged his shoulders and nodded at Kristin before quietly heading back to his office.

Ben pulled a chair up next to Kristin and passed her a pillow and blanket. He looked over at the captain who seemed to be swallowed by bandages and asked tentatively, "So how did the surgery go?"

"Doctor Jacobs did an excellent job. There was a depressed skull fracture which they managed to repair and that relieved the pressure that was causing the seizures. He shouldn't have any more of those."

"Buuuut?"

"But what?"

"Come on, Kristin. What _aren't_ you saying? You don't have a very good poker face you know."

She sighed and looked away before speaking again. "This injury was untreated for far too long. There was bleeding into the brain which led to a blood clot. Doctor Jacobs thinks he's stopped the bleeding and we have a neurosurgeon reviewing the files we sent him to make sure."

"And?"

The tears that had been threatening all day finally broke loose and she started to sob.

"And we don't know how much permanent damage has been done. There is swelling of the brain and Lucas said Nathan was behaving strangely. Until he wakes up and we run tests we just don't know."

Ben pulled his chair in front of hers and took both her hands in his. He usually had something to say for every occasion but nothing came to mind. She smiled at him anyway, feeling grateful that she had someone to share her worries with.

* * *

He felt like he was floating. Not in water but something else. Something he couldn't define. It was dark and warm and quiet. Everything felt hazy and he struggled to make sense of his surroundings. There was no feeling in his body and his mind started to register that something was very wrong with this picture. As he tried to bring his thoughts into focus he felt a strange sensation in his chest. Panic started to rise as he realised he couldn't breathe. It was like someone was holding a pillow over his face and he strained to push it off. Somewhere in the darkness a voice drifted through. Familiar but distorted, as though it was coming from a long way away.

"Don't fight it, Lucas. It's helping you breathe. Just relax."

Somewhere in the depths of his mind he knew that he trusted that voice and he stopped straining and went back to floating.

Ben held Lucas' hand and whispered in his ear, hoping something was getting through. Finally he felt the tension leave his body and Lucas settled back on the bed. He let out a sigh of relief and looked up to see what Kristin was doing. She was checking the readouts on the monitors and seemed to be satisfied with what she was seeing.

"He's starting to wake up and it's fairly common for people to panic when they first feel the ventilator tube. It feels like you are choking and it's just a reflex to try to fight against it," she explained.

"So he'll soon be awake?" Ben asked hopefully.

"I don't know. You don't go straight from unconscious to wide awake. It's like coming up through layers of consciousness. He'll wake up when he's ready. In the meantime whatever you are doing seems to be keeping him calm, so by all means, keep doing it." She smiled at him and he grinned back. At last he felt like he was doing something helpful.

* * *

Kristin looked up and realised that Ben had fallen asleep. It wasn't surprising given how little sleep he had had. She felt her own eyes beginning to droop but she just didn't want to close them. She was afraid that if she closed them, when she opened them again one or both of them would be gone. It struck her as a really irrational thought for a scientific mind but she couldn't shake it.

The idea that she had missed diagnosing Lucas' condition was unsettling to say the least and she didn't feel she could let down her guard until he was given the all clear. She knew she was being unfair to herself but it didn't make the feeling go away.

She leaned over the bed and took hold of the captain's hand in her own. She was surprised at the lack of strength there. He felt somehow brittle, as though he could break if she squeezed too hard.

"_Don't be so ridiculous!"_ she admonished herself. _"He's the strongest person I know."_

And yet, right now he was lying in front of her looking anything but strong. Tears ran down her cheeks as she gently stroked the side of his face.

"Why do we waste so much time dancing around each other?"

* * *

Katie Hitchcock walked through the medbay doors, knowing full well that she would find Ben there. He wasn't in his quarters when she went to check on him and there wasn't anywhere else he would be. She smiled when she saw him. He had a chair pulled up next to Lucas' bed and sometime during the night he had fallen asleep with his head resting on his arm on the side of the bed. He was holding Lucas' hand firmly in his and she knew he had been there all night.

She couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy as she knew how much he cared about Lucas. For all his childishness that drove her crazy at times, there was no denying he had a kind heart. He didn't always display the most responsible attitude but when it really mattered, he was right where he needed to be. She thought about how stiff and sore he would be when he woke up and she gently shook his shoulder. He stirred and opened his eyes but took a minute to register where he was. He stared at her and then looked back at his friend. Lucas still hadn't woken up but the tension seemed to have gone out of his face.

"Rough night hey?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah." Ben stood and stretched, trying to stretch out the kinks in his back. He was surprised when he felt Katie slip her arms around his waist and hug him.

"What was that for?" he asked, caught a little off guard.

"Just thought you needed a friend and what ever else may have happened, we never stopped being friends."

He smiled over her head as he hugged her back, grateful for the sense of calm and comfort she brought with her. He realised that Kristin was gone from her chair and he thought about heading out to look for her when she came back through the doors. She looked exhausted and he wondered if she had fallen asleep like him or else stayed up all night.

Kristin moved around the bed to check the captain's monitors and nodded slightly at the readout.

"How's he doing?" Katie asked.

"All the vitals are good. Now we just need for him to wake up."

While they were talking, Doctor Jacobs came back into the room carrying a folder.

"I've just spoken with the neurosurgeon again and he's really happy with the latest stats we sent through."

Kristin smiled at the positive news but as she looked back at the captain lying in the bed she found herself shaking. It was really easy to relay medical information to others and expect them to take it as gospel. It was so much harder when you knew the variables involved and your mind kept going back to the worst case scenario.

As Ford made the trek down to medbay again he realised he had lost count of how many times he had been back and forth during the night. Lack of sleep was wearing on all of them but he just couldn't seem to make his mind stop long enough to actually rest. He had seen both Ben and Kristin had settled in for the long haul and the last time he came down they were both asleep.

He came through the doors just in time to hear Doctor Jacobs' news from the neurosurgeon and he smiled with relief. He was surprised to see Katie had beaten him there but not at all surprised to see she had her arm around Krieg's waist.

All eyes were focused on Bridger as they discussed his condition but Ben suddenly felt Lucas move beside him. He felt his hand being squeezed and looked down to see he was awake. Lucas stared back at him with panic in his eyes. He began to tense up again as he fought the gagging sensation of the ventilator tube and tried to pull at it with his free hand.

"Whoa, hold on Lucas, calm down!" Ben urged. "I know it's scaring you but you gotta relax. It's helping you breathe."

Lucas tried to focus on Ben's face before him but he couldn't stop the overwhelming panic. Kristin rushed over and held his other arm as she tried to calm him.

"It's all right, we'll take it out but you have to calm down. Do you hear me?"

The authority in her voice began to take effect and Lucas tried to fight down the terror in his mind. The feeling of choking was too close to what he had experienced when he was pulled under the water and his mind didn't want to go there again.

Lucas still had a grip on Ben's hand as the two doctors eased the ventilator tube out. The look that passed between them didn't go unnoticed and Ben wondered why they looked so worried. This was good wasn't it? Lucas was breathing on his own and he was awake.

Finally Ben felt Lucas relax the vice-like grip on his hand and he realised it was out.

Kristin looked at Jacobs and quietly said, "Be ready to put it back if we need to." He nodded in agreement and they both looked at the teenager waiting to see how he would go on his own.

"Your throat will be sore and it will still hurt to breathe for a while but you are doing just fine." Kristin leaned over and smiled. Lucas tried to speak but his mouth just wouldn't form the words. He felt incredibly tired and it was easier just to slip back into that warm place for a while. Ben looked at Kristin with alarm but she smiled reassuringly.

"It's all right. He's just asleep."


	11. Chapter 11

**Yay! It's finally done. **

**Thanks Teresa – I'll look for an Aussie psychiatrist, but only if he makes house calls cos otherwise I can't be bothered. Too many other things to do, like write silly stories! Anyway my kids think I'm a lost cause already.**

**Thankyou so much to everyone who reviewed. I hope you enjoyed it. Now maybe I can turn off the Pink Floyd and get some sleep. And dream up another plot…..hmmmm.**

**Chapter Eleven**

Lucas was unbelievably bored. He lay back on the pillows and stared at the ceiling. There were tiny rows of dots in whatever material it was made of and he began running calculations in his head by multiplying each row by the next. It didn't take long before this game stopped being distracting and he sighed and rolled over onto his side. It didn't matter which way he lay, it still hurt. He was severely bruised over a large portion of his body and there were some serious gashes from the rocks. The chest drain had been removed but it still hurt whenever he tried to take a deep breath.

He looked over at the captain and wondered for the four hundredth time when he was going to wake up. He had been told about the surgery and the prognosis but nothing really mattered except to hear the captain's voice again. More than anything he wanted to hear his own name. He wanted to know he hadn't been forgotten.

"_How selfish is that?" _he thought. _"All I can think about is that he remembers me." _Lucas felt a sudden flare of anger but didn't understand what it was he was angry about. He pushed the feeling aside and gingerly sat up before slowly climbing out of bed. It had been three days since he first woke up and he had drifted in and out of sleep for much of the time.

Voices had come and gone over that time and he remembered some of the conversations but not all. The only constant thing he remembered was that each time he woke up and looked expectantly over at the captain he was still unconscious. A nagging voice kept whispering in his ear that maybe he would _never _wake up but Lucas refused to listen to it.

He pulled the chair up next to the bed and took in the details before him. A bandage was swathed around his head and Lucas knew it covered a multitude of stitches and a metal plate. He took in the captain's weathered features and recalled how he had looked after the last seizure. He shuddered at the thought and looked away. Bridger's arm had been plastered and Lucas remembered how the captain had asked him if Kristin taught him to put a splint on.

_"He remembered her name!" _he thought angrily. Lucas sat back in the chair with a start. _"Where did that come from?" _

Not trusting his own voice, Lucas sat silently and stared at his friend's face. _"Do I mean so little to you that you could forget me?"_

Tears began to well in his eyes and Lucas angrily wiped them away. He knew he was being irrational but he couldn't help it. He took hold of the captain's hand and ran his finger over the large academy ring he always wore.

_"Robert would have had one of these too. Like father, like son." _He drifted away on that train of thought and was startled when he felt his fingers being squeezed.

Lucas looked up and almost laughed out loud when he realised the captain was watching him.

"Hey, Kiddo," he whispered before closing his eyes again.

Lucas grabbed the buzzer beside the bed and seconds later Kristin came running through the doors.

"What's wrong?" she demanded to know.

"He woke up! Just for a couple of seconds but he woke up!"

Lucas grinned at her as she began checking monitor readouts again. "_He knows me!"_

* * *

"Hey Lucas; glad to see you're awake. We came by earlier but you were busy snoring." Miguel smiled as he winked at Tim.

"I don't snore!"

"Uh, I hate to tell you but you do." The two men exchanged glances and started laughing.

"Maybe you need a snoring monitor to add to the collection here." Tim gestured at the assortment of equipment around the room.

Lucas rolled his eyes and just shook his head at them.

"Seriously though, how are you doing?" Tim asked.

"I'm _so_ bored. Kristin won't let me have my laptop and there's nothing to do in here. I just want to get out of here."

"You need to rest young man and that includes your mind," Kristin said as she came through the door.

"How does she do that?" Lucas whispered. "Question her orders and she appears!"

As Kristin turned her back Lucas saluted her and the others had to smother a laugh.

"When's Captain Bridger coming back?" Lucas asked, hoping to focus her attention on someone else.

"As soon as Doctor Jacobs is finished with him. I'll go and see what's keeping them." She said as she walked back out through the doors.

"How many more times are they going to run the same tests?" Lucas asked impatiently.

"It's only been four days Lucas. Kristin said they're happy with the captain's progress but it's going to take some time before he's fully recovered."

Lucas wasn't really listening as his two friends continued on the conversation. He was concerned with just how long it was going to take for Captain Bridger to be back to normal. He had only been allowed out of bed two days ago for the first time and he seemed to be unsure of most of the details of their ordeal. Lucas had held back from discussing it with him, mainly because he didn't really want to relive it himself.

Lucas was jolted out of his musing by the sound of Kristin's voice.

"It's all arranged then. I've spoken to Bill and he thinks it's a good idea. You need to see the neurosurgeon first when we dock, to get the all clear and then we are going to spend some time out on your island. You need time to rest and heal."

Bridger nodded at her as he slowly walked back towards the bed.

Lucas felt the anger starting to rise again and before he knew what he was doing he had climbed out of the bed and fled out the door. They were going to leave. Of course!

He heard shouts coming after him but all he could think to do was run. As far away as he could possibly get.

Miguel started to head out the door after him but the captain called him back.

"It's OK. I'll go," he started but Kristin took hold of his arm.

"Oh no, you won't! You need to get back into that bed."

"After I speak to Lucas. I bet I know where he's gone and you can walk me down there if you want but I _am_ going."

She looked at him and shook her head. She realised there was no point arguing so she looped her arm through his and helped him walk the short distance down to the moonpool.

Lucas sat on the edge of the moonpool and trailed his fingers in the water. He felt like he was going to explode and he had no idea why. His angry over reaction in medbay had come out of nowhere it seemed. Fifteen minutes later he still felt as angry as before but he couldn't express what it was that was making him feel so frustrated. As if sensing his presence Darwin swam up and pushed his head under Lucas' hand.

"Hey, Darwin."

"Lucas play?"

"Not yet Darwin. I'm still too sore. Maybe soon."

"Lucas sad?" The dolphin looked at him, waiting for an answer that didn't come.

"Lucas sad?" he tried again.

"No Darwin, I'm not sad. I'm… angry… and I don't know why."

"Angry at who?"

"This doesn't make any sense but I'm angry at the captain."

"Bridger make Lucas angry?"

"No, that's just it. He hasn't done anything to make me angry."

"But Lucas is angry?"

"Yeah." He paused and looked at Darwin, trying to make sense of the emotion that was making him feel so crazy.

"You know … when we were on that island he called me Robert. I mean he really thought I was his son. It scared me because I knew he had a head injury and he wasn't thinking straight but ... a part of me … kinda liked it." Lucas paused and looked at the dolphin as he tried to gather his thoughts.

"Now that he's going to be OK again it's back to normal. I'm just another member of the crew. I don't know why I expected anything different. My own father isn't answering at the moment but I bet if he could be contacted he still wouldn't care what happened."

Lucas sat stroking the dolphin's head, drawing comfort from him.

Bridger paused in the doorway, unsure if he should make his presence known. He guessed this would be the first place Lucas would run to when he had stormed out of medbay. He finally decided that whatever this was it needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later so he walked slowly towards the teenager. Kristin reluctantly turned and headed back to medbay.

Lucas heard his footsteps and spun around in alarm. _"How much did he hear?" _he wondered as he shrunk back onto the seat.

"Hey, Kiddo."

Lucas didn't answer but he just stared into the water and tried to compose his face. His mind was racing and he wished he could just run away again instead of having to face the captain.

"You know, I don't really remember what happened out there but I know I must have scared you." Bridger paused, hoping Lucas would pick up the conversation. When Lucas just continued to stare at the water he sat down next to him and started again.

"What you did … that was no small thing. It was incredibly brave and I'm so very proud of you."

Lucas steadfastly refused to look him in the eye.

"It wasn't brave. I was terrified."

"Being brave doesn't mean you aren't scared. It means that you do what you have to do _in spite of_ being scared. I don't know how you did it but you got me out of a sinking shuttle and saved my life. I'm here because of you."

"But I _lost_ you. I thought … I thought you had drowned." Lucas felt the fear rising again as he remembered thinking the captain was gone. "And then when I found you … you didn't even know who I was! You were talking to me as though I was…"

"As though you were Robert?"

Lucas bit his lower lip and refused to answer. How was he supposed to explain that he was jealous? Jealous of someone he had never met who was probably long dead?

"You know, I might have been confused enough to call you Robert but when I woke up on the beach I kept seeing _your_ face. It was _you _I went looking for. I didn't know who you were but I knew I had to find you anyway."

Bridger waited to see if Lucas would respond. When he didn't he continued on. " Lucas, I heard what you said to Darwin before."

Lucas began to turn away as he waited for the inevitable rejection that was coming.

Bridger gently turned him back to face him and started again.

"You said that a part of you liked the idea that I thought you were Robert. My son. Well you know something? A part of me liked that you liked the idea."

Lucas stared at the floor as the implication of that statement sunk in.

"Robert will never stop being my son and I will never stop loving him. But that doesn't mean I can't love you too. I know I've never told you but I just assumed you knew. Just like your father assumes you know how he feels. Sometimes it takes something disastrous for us to get our focus right. I don't ever want you to doubt how much you mean to me again."

Slowly Lucas looked up to see the captain smiling at him.

"Now, if you'd stuck around a little longer you would have heard that I was going to ask if you wanted to come with us. You need some time to heal too and Kristin can keep an eye on both of us."

Lucas smiled and said, "You mean boss us around?"

'Yeah, that too!"

"Then I guess we better get you back to medbay before the warden comes looking," he grinned.

**AN: I know I said this was finished but I added another chapter so please read to the end.**


	12. Chapter 12

**OK I know I said this was finished but I wasn't happy with how I ended it. I like the angsty stories but it's hard not to descend into mush. This is only my second fic so I'm still working it out. So anyway here's one last chapter. **

**Hey Sara, now you can be late for work one more time! After that you'll have to blame the bus, or the flat tyre, or the traffic jam, or the landlord, or the next door neighbour's dog or whatever else you can think up.**

**Enjoy! And yes it really is finished this time. :-)**

**Chapter Twelve**

Lucas was surprised at just how anxious he felt on the short ride out to the island. The _seaQuest _had made it into port the day before and the first priority was to get the captain seen to by the neurosurgeon. Doctor Hendriks had kept a close eye on the reports being relayed through to him since the captain's surgery but there was no substitute for a face to face consultation. Having declared him fit to leave for the island for some recuperation time, Kristin had wasted no time in making it happen.

Lucas sat and stared across the shuttle, unwilling to look out at the water. Bridger sat beside him and wondered just what was going through his mind. He had tried unsuccessfully to strike up a conversation and he finally decided there wasn't much he could do for Lucas at the moment. He had no recollection of their shuttle trip that had ended in near disaster except for vague flashes of disjointed memories. The only thing that was crystal clear to him was the sight of Lucas' frightened face.

"_It's no wonder he's so tense,"_ he thought as he observed how tightly wound Lucas was.

Ben had also kept a close eye on Lucas as they had boarded the shuttle and he too had noticed how Lucas had stiffened slightly and paused in the doorway before heading for a seat in the back of the shuttle.

It was a surprisingly quiet trip as nobody seemed inclined to talk much. Everyone seemed relieved when the tiny island came into view and Ben smoothly maneuvered the small craft into the landing dock. As Lucas climbed out onto the decking he smiled as he saw Darwin had already made it home. He watched silently as the gray shadow leaped from the water and flipped effortlessly through the air. He never grew tired of watching the graceful antics of dolphins at play. Bridger watched him from behind and was relieved to see the tension easing out of Lucas' shoulders as he watched Darwin's greeting.

"This was a good idea," he whispered to Kristin and she just raised her eyebrows at him as if to say, "I told you so."

"Why don't you head up to the house and I'll bring the bags up?" Ben said as he began to drop luggage on the deck. He knew neither Lucas nor the captain were in any shape to be carrying anything and he wanted them settled inside as soon as possible. Bridger nodded at him and began the slow walk along the dock. He had been up and about for a few days but he still felt dizzy after walking for more than a few minutes. Kristin assured him that it would pass but it was frustrating all the same.

Lucas had already headed down to where he could reach Darwin and was sitting with his feet dangling in the water. Darwin swam in lazy circles around the pylons and Lucas seemed to be relaxing at last. Bridger had been worried by his reaction in the shuttle that Lucas may be hesitant to get back in the water but it didn't seem to be bothering him now.

As if reading his mind, Kristin leaned in and nodded at Lucas, "Give him some time. He'll be fine." She smiled encouragingly and they continued on towards the house as Ben came back for a second load. He needed to get back to the _seaQuest _but he wasn't going until he was sure they had everything they might need.

The submarine had made it through the last week running on temporary repairs but now it was heading into dry dock to be given the once over. He had a comprehensive list of supplies that Katie had given him and he knew he was going to have trouble getting them all. As he carried the last of the bags upstairs he was glad that Lucas was going to get some time here with the captain. He knew they had things to sort out and being away from the confines of the _seaQuest _seemed like a good place to do it.

* * *

_The sound of rushing water was deafening and the walls seemed to be closing in around him. He watched helplessly as Lucas struggled with the life raft and tried to yell a warning as he saw a monstrous wave that threatened to engulf the boy. No sound came out and he felt like he was sinking in something. His legs wouldn't move and he reached out desperately to Lucas. He watched in horror as the shuttle disintegrated around him and Lucas seemed to be swallowed by the darkness._

He jolted out of the dream with that sickening sensation that happens between a nightmare and waking up. It took a few seconds to realise he had been dreaming but he couldn't shake the feeling of dread. His heart was still racing and as he wiped his face he realised he was covered in sweat. For some reason he felt an overwhelming urge to check for himself that Lucas was all right.

Bridger slowly headed down the hall to Lucas' room and softly pushed the door open. It was hard to see in the dark but he knew the layout of this room and he confidently headed over to the bed. He hoped that Lucas hadn't left anything lying on the floor otherwise this secret visit wouldn't be a secret for long. He was surprised to see the bed hadn't been slept in yet and he wondered where Lucas could be.

* * *

Lucas sat in the dark and listened to the sounds of the ocean outside. The rhythmic pounding of the waves on the shoreline was soothing from this distance. It seemed strange given that the same sound had been so terrifying the night he had spent clinging onto rocks. He was startled from his thoughts as he realised someone was coming down the stairs.

"Lucas? Are you down there?" He heard the captain's voice and noted the worried edge to it.

"Over here," he called back. "In the lounge."

Bridger slowly came down the last of the stairs and even in the dark Lucas could tell it was an effort.

"Couldn't sleep, huh?" he asked as he sat down next to Lucas.

"I can't seem to get my mind to turn off," he sighed.

"And I can't seem to get mine to turn on." Even in the dark Lucas could hear the smile in the captain's voice. "Wanna swap?"

Lucas couldn't help but laugh at the image.

"Captain … do you …do you remember anything of what happened to us?"

"Only images, just flashes really. I know we were hit by shockwaves from the earthquake. I remember waking up on the beach with the lifejacket tied around my arm. I couldn't get it off."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't have a whole lot of time to get it on you. Everything was getting washed out of the shuttle."

"So how did we get separated? I thought you said we made it to the life raft." Bridger felt Lucas stiffen beside him and he wasn't sure if he was going to get an answer.

"The raft … hit the rocks and ripped apart. I woke up in the water and you …" Lucas found himself struggling to breathe and the captain waited for him to regain his composure. "You were gone. I made it to the rocks but I couldn't swim in the dark so I stayed there."

"All night?" Bridger was stunned to realise how long Lucas had been in the water alone.

"In the morning I tried to swim from the reef but my legs were so cold and I had trouble getting there. I kept going under and I didn't think I was going to make it."

Slowly realisation dawned that if he kept going under, Lucas wasn't wearing a life jacket. _Why not?_

"Where was your life jacket?"

Lucas didn't answer immediately but finally he quietly said, "I didn't have one. It got washed away before I could get it on. I only had one left and … and you were unconscious and I couldn't keep you afloat otherwise."

Bridger couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not only did Lucas drag him out of the shuttle but he did it without regard for his own safety. He had been given some of the details of what had happened but this wasn't one of them. He felt himself shudder as he realised how close Lucas came to drowning. "_Because of me! And I repaid him by scaring the hell out of him!"_

The two of them sat in silence for a while, each one lost in their thoughts.

"You said I was talking to you as though you were Robert." Lucas screwed up his face as he recalled his outburst from the other day. He was glad it was dark and the captain couldn't see his embarrassment. It felt like such a childish response now but at the time he hadn't realised how much it had affected him.

He didn't feel at all sure how his own father felt about him but he had been fairly confident about the captain's feelings towards him. The idea that he could be forgotten had hit him hard. He had never felt like he could replace the captain's son but it seemed like he had been rejected when the captain didn't know who he was. His deep memories of Robert had surfaced and Lucas felt pushed out of the picture.

"Lucas, did you hear me?"

"Huh?" The captain had been speaking and he had missed it.

"I said, I know I frightened you but I'm still not really sure what made you so angry the other day."

Lucas hesitated before answering but decided there was no getting out of this. The captain would only ask him again if he didn't get a real answer.

"It felt like … like you had Robert back and you didn't need me anymore."

"It's never been a competition you know," Bridger said as he leaned over and pulled Lucas into a hug. At first he stiffened but gradually he relaxed and leaned back against the captain. He had waited too long for this and now he didn't want to let go.

* * *

Kristin stood by the lounge and smiled at the sight in front of her. She thought about waking them up but decided against it. She was startled by the sound of the vidphone in the next room and she moved quickly to answer it before either of them woke up.

She recognised the face on the screen even though she had never met Lucas' father. As she quickly smoothed over the surprised look on her face she noted the distressed look on his.

"Doctor Westphalen I presume. I'm Lawrence Wolenczak. I was told my son is with you and Captain Bridger. I've been out of contact on a research assignment and the UEO has just called me to let me know what happened with Lucas. Is he all right?" Kristin was surprised by the urgency in his voice but then she smiled and assured him that Lucas was going to be fine and he was sleeping at the moment.

"Please tell him I'm on my way there. I should be there in about six hours. My shuttle is waiting for me so I have to go. And Doctor… please tell my son I love him."


End file.
